Dentalink vs Open Dental

Dentalink is cloud software for dental offices and clinics, combining appointment scheduling, digital clinical records, and patient financing. Patients can book appointments online; clinics can send confirmations and create automatic follow-up tasks. Clinical tools include dental and periodontal charts, orthodontics, digital signatures, consent forms, and clinical document storage. Administrative functions cover cash tracking, expenses, inventory, laboratory management, staff commissions, and reports. The product also lists automatic X-ray analysis, AI reports, clinical summaries, voice-to-note conversion, and a CRM and AI assistant contact center. Its plans are custom-priced, with monthly, quarterly, semiannual, or annual payment options and no minimum term. Dentalink runs in the cloud without additional software installation and lists Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows platforms. Clinic and patient information is hosted on Amazon Web Services servers. Users can download their information and request recovery after cancellation through their post-sales representative. The Titanium plan includes an API for integrations.

Open Dental is dental practice software sold with a software license and support plan. Its listed eServices include a patient portal, web forms, automated messaging, texting, eClipboard, mobile access, and online scheduling. Practice features include patient self-booking, provider calendars, appointment reminders, online intake forms, and support for multiple locations. A free trial does not expire, but it is limited to 30 patients and does not include API or eServices access. The trial provides a blank database and a demo database with fictional patients, but not copyrighted CDT content. The client program cannot run on Linux or Mac workstations, though Linux or macOS can be used as a server alternative. Monthly support includes updates and phone, chat, and email technical assistance, with up to two specific issues per call. The listed Other Countries plan is $89/month/location or office under a 12-month contract; US pricing is $199/month/location or office for the initial 12 months, then a reduced rate of $149/month/location after 12 consecutive months. Fees vary by location, provider count, and added functionality; data conversion is extra.